Henry Boyes was born into a wealthy family in 1844 in Kingston upon Hull in England.

[1] Boyes sold his family estate for $250,000 and the couple moved to San Francisco, California.

[2] In 1883 the Boyes' moved to Sonoma Valley, where they bought 75 acres of land after hearing about the area from Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo.

Eventually, another house was built on a 15-acre part of the property, which the couple named "El Mirador.

[5] Today, the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa is located on the site of the former Boyes resort.